The New Job, and other updates since I fell of the face of the blogging earth!

So yes, it is true, I have finally graduated from pharmacy school!!! I am so happy to be done with it all. Just have to get through the boards (and pass) and I will be home free. On another note, I have already started my first job I will have as a pharmacist. So far so good...I love it. Will I probably love it in a few months...no. The best part is when you are learning all the new stuff and the days fly by. Do I think I will like my job more then other people like theirs....yes for sure. I am a dork and I do like what I went to school for so I hope that sustains me for the next 20+ years of working!

On another note....the diet went splat. The last couple weeks have been hectic with graduation and starting a new job and a million different things. So I am officially starting my diet and exercise plan today. And the best part...I have a friend who is going to do it with me! So hopefully I can get my butt in shape quickly. My dad has done it in 4 months, so why can't I? My mom has done it in like 6 months, so why can't I? I don't want to be the only one left behind. I think it might be a little easier now that I am settling into a routine and job that I can plan my workouts and my eating schedule better. Cross your fingers for me! I don't want to go into my 30s feeling like a lump of lard. :)

And now for the important part....Stella update. She is getting so big now. She is such a big girl. Eats snacks all by herself (see messy picture below). She is also sitting up on her own now. She hardly falls over at all. We have also moved up to the regular bathtub for baths. Still waiting on the crawling...she doesn't have much desire to get up and go yet. We will see. In the meantime...check out the new pictures of my girl!

Cute outfit her Grammy Lisa gave her for Easter.

Hanging out on the beach on out playmat.

Too cool with our sunglasses at the beach.

Messy feeding herself face.

First "big girl" bath time!

"Why do you want to be a Pharmacist?"

I get that question ALL the time! And the true answer is….I HAVE NO IDEA!!! Please always expect some eloquent speech about why it’s important to me….but I DON’T HAVE ONE. I guess it was just a way for me to be financially independent and make good money and not have to depend on finding a financially secure man to take care of me (not to say that isn’t a huge plus!) People always look at me crazy when I say I have no real reason. The most annoying is when other pharmacists ask me that in the whole “my life is so horrible, why would you do this to yourself” way. Then when I have no answer they tell me I’m crazy. Nice. 9 years of education and you people are trying to make me feel like it was a waste of my time….really? At least almost as often as I come across these negative people, I come across the people who applaud me on my career choice and tell me what a bright future I have! All those negative people lead me to question number 2 that I hate….

“Why do you have to go to school for so long to count pills?”

This is probably one of the HUGEST misconceptions of pharmacists and the most annoying question to be asked. It is pretty much belittling my education and my career choice in one simple question. There are so many other options then being a retail pharmacist. And retail pharmacists can do so much more for their patients if they put a little effort into it! Guess what….as a hospital pharmacist I NEVER count pills! For those of you that are interested in what I actually do….I enter orders physicians have written for accuracy (which they are wrong 50% of the time) and appropriateness (which they are also wrong about 25% of the time). You may not think this is not important because errors only happen to some people once in a while…but that is because we help to CATCH the errors before they reach the patients. If people knew how many errors pharmacists catch on a daily basis they would be amazed! But order entry is only a small part of the job. We respond to Code Blue and Code Trauma and provide needed medication preparation on the spot in these situations in the hospital. One of the largest things we do it patient medication dosing. In the hospital under approved protocols we can dose patients’ anticoagulants (Coumadin, heparin, etc), antibiotics (vancomycin, etc) and dose TPNs (nutrition for patients who cannot eat). We look at the patient’s labs, history and information and determine a proper dose, order labs and levels, etc. And guess what….the doctors ask us to provide these services for them so they don’t have to do it. No they don’t need to check our orders or co-sign them off…pharmacists do it all but themselves.  So next time you ask the above questions, ask yourself if you would like a person with a 6 month technician degree dosing your blood thinning medication to prevent strokes, blood clots, and heart attack…..or a pharmacist that has had extensive education in medications and disease states.

There are many other questions that bug me…I will write about them at a later time. These questions were at the forefront of my mind today. Yes….because some annoying person asked me!

Oh and I wrote this yesterday but forgot to post it...so...2 blogs for today to make up for yesterday!

The Dreaded Diet Plan

Yes….I know it sounds horrible, but I am actually pretty excited this time around. I really need to get in shape before Stella starts running around and I can’t catch her! So I was reading another blog (yes I am a blog stalker) and she recommended this website “my fitness pal”. It is simply a calorie counter and exercise counter. It takes your weight and factors in your age and height and everything else to determine how many calories you can have per day to lose about 2 pounds a week. The crash diets work, but are impossible to stick to. So I am hoping my obsessive compulsive personality helps me to feel the need to track my calories everyday! The great thing is their database is HUGE! I entered Sprouts kettle corn and it came up! Same with Omaha steaks products and everything else I could think of….another huge plus since I HATE entering the label off products! Lastly…it has an iphone app! So I happily logged all my information in today. I have set personal goals for myself and will be rewarding myself as I reach them. And now since I told you all about my proposed diet and exercise plan, there is no hiding from it!

I have already started taking Stella on 3 mile walk/runs a few times a week, but I will need to step it up even more! If I ever become pregnant again….don’t get too excited, it’s a long way off….I don’t want to feel like the blob that I did towards the end with Stella. I don’t really care much about the actual number I weigh….I just want to FEEL fit! So as a graduation gift to myself I have decided to buy myself a bicycle and a bike trailer for Stella to ride in. Hopefully that can also become a part of my workout routine!

So if any of you crazies want to lose weight and get in shape with me….hop on my band wagon!

(P.S. I will be celebrating my graduation on May 21st with MANY margaritas, but I promise to work out every day the week after. )

Oh and I am going to try to write a blog every single day this month!!! A little extra challenge for myself!

Here are some pictures of Stella in her jogging stroller!